Never for Certain
by Dragonfire Alchemist
Summary: The Elric brothers were talented at many things. Proper good-byes? Not so much. A sort of expansion on the ending of Conqueror of Shamballa; implied Royai, Parental!RoyEd, and Parental!RoyAl


**Set sort of after the ending of Conqueror of Shamballa... An extra, if you will, because you can never have enough of that hinted-at Royai and Roy just bein protective of the bros in general ;) Enjoy~!**

What was it with the Elric brothers and good-byes?

They never could say it properly. No "good-bye" or "hope to see you again" from either of them. Just a wave, perhaps, or some other signal, before charging off to the next big thing.

But, of course, that was only natural for them.

And the ones who knew the brothers well, enough to be considered friends… They didn't need tearful parting words. Those only made things worse.

So, of course, Roy was left behind, watching silently as Alphonse jumped from the falling platform and to the airship. And he didn't feel remorse, at not saying good-bye, that is. He only briefly watched the younger brother slip on board before the airship went through the portal. Then he silently turned away, instead focusing on the platform he was perched on.

He knew how it would end. The two would be reunited on the other side of the portal.

As he concentrated on transmuting the material-damn, he was getting rusty with basic alchemy; he was actually _struggling _with this menial task-he mused to himself.

He wondered what the other side was like.

He wondered if his two protégés would be safe there. Probably not, as they both attracted danger like a moth to a flame.

And then he wondered, with a faint smirk, how annoyed Fullmetal would be upon realizing that the general had done nothing to stop Alphonse from recklessly chasing after his older brother.

But as the sloppy transmutation was completed, and he scanned his work with a critical eye, he forced himself to stop thinking those particular thoughts. They only served to send a dull ache through his chest and distract him.

He was ready now, for the final request he had received.

Steady.

Aim.

He snapped halfheartedly, and the gate containing the portal erupted into a burning blaze.

Hawkeye paced in frustration. He hadn't taken her with him. He could be hurt, for all she knew. Or…

As her mind had begun to trail towards the worst conclusion, a blast of fire from the sky drew her attention. And without realizing it, she had let out the breath she had been holding, her taut muscles finally easing.

He was alive.

And he was coming back down.

As she watched the material falling from the sky form into a long staircase, the other members of the team swarmed around where she patiently waited, just as eager as she was to see the general's return.

Actually, judging from the expressions of haste on Havoc's and Breda's faces, they had made a bet on something or other.

So they were, perhaps, even more impatient than she was.

"Miss me?" Roy called, a smirk settling on his face as he jumped down the final steps, the transmuted staircase crumbling to pieces behind him.

"Yeah! Good going, colo- I mean, uh… general!" Fuery grinned, relieved to see his superior officer once again in charge.

Falman whistled. "Like he said, good going! That was incredible, how you single-handedly…" he trailed off as the general and the lieutenant approached each other. An unspoken cue went up, and the team silenced themselves.

"Lieutenant," Roy started seriously, although the faint smirk was still showing. "I sincerely apologize for leaving you behi- AGH!" His apology was abruptly cut off as Riza tripped him in a single, flowing movement. Her eyes were emotionless, but they hid relief and amusement as she offered a hand to help him up.

"No, no. _My_ apologies, sir. I must have slipped."

In the background, Breda groaned loudly, as Havoc smirked. "C'mon, Breda. You lose again!"

Breda muttered to himself as he reached into his pocket and handed Havoc a fair amount of money. "Not my fault that I assumed she would be all self-controlled and take it maturely… Like always…"

Havoc shrugged, counting the money. "I knew she'd get back at him after the stunt he pulled."

Roy's face flushed as he took her hand and stood, brushing himself off. He didn't say anything though, besides giving her a faint nod.

They were even.

"So, how did you manage to drive them all off, sir?" Riza questioned calmly, as though nothing had happened, and as though she wasn't changing the subject.

Roy's gaze shifted. "I almost wish I could accept the credit for driving the intruders away. But I was only acting as a cover."

"For Alphonse?" Fuery asked.

The smirk returned in full force to Roy's face. "For the Elric brothers. Both of them."

"What? You mean, Ed's still alive?" Falman laughed, sudden joy filling his eyes.

Fuery brightened. "Where is he?"

"Yeah, where's the chief?" Havoc grinned, almost dropping the cigarette he had been about to light.

Roy hesitated before straightening. The ache was back again. "He had to return to the other side of the portal in order to destroy the gate there."

"And Alphonse?" Riza asked, although her tone implied that she already knew where he had gone.

"Went and tagged along with Fullmetal, as always."

The whole team slumped.

Havoc lit up his cigarette, taking a small, thoughtful puff. "And they got through okay?"

The general took a moment to think before nodding. He would have felt it otherwise. "Yeah, they're safe and sound on the other side. Probably destroying the gate over there as we speak."

"And the chief's probably gettin' arrested for something or other…" Breda smiled mournfully.

Falman nodded. "And Alphonse or any friends of theirs on the other side are bailing him out…"

The whole team was quiet, each reminiscing.

"So," Havoc started, drawing attention towards himself from the others. "Now that we know for certain the chief's alive, and finally with his brother again, why not celebrate? Anyone up for drinks at my place?"

Even though the situation continued to weigh on their minds, the others agreed. It was the least they could do to return to a sense of normalcy… Even if that normalcy was torn in two places, two holes refusing to be filled up. Tomorrow would see the beginning of clean-up from the invasion, and even though it was a daunting task, it would be cleaned up eventually.

Things would be rebuilt.

Lives lost would slowly fade into the distance.

Memories would blur as they sunk into the depths of people's minds.

But even then, the Elric brothers would be sorely missed, at least by their family in the military.

As they passed the ruins of multiple buildings, stepping over rubble that had been strewn about the roads, the ache in Mustang's chest throbbed before starting to ebb.

Because he knew he would see those two again; of course he would. Maybe they'd pull one of their miracles and return to Amestris. Or maybe he would just have to settle for seeing them after his death.

Who knew?

He certainly didn't. But then, he hadn't exactly gotten a proper good-bye, now had he?

Proper good-byes signified the end. That was it, and the tie was cut.

But the kind of open-ended good-bye that the Elric brothers had skillfully mastered over the years?

Those were never for certain.


End file.
